Powa Technologies Group launches the most transformative retail buying solution in the world

NEW YORK, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The retail landscape has been transformed forever with the worldwide launch of PowaTag today, the revolutionary new retail enablement service from Powa Technologies Group. Over 240 worldwide brands including Reebok, Quiksilver and Harry & David have signed up for PowaTag, which combines capabilities including instant mobile commerce and Bluetooth geo-location to provide an unparalleled level of buying freedom and consumer engagement.

The hybrid technology at the heart of PowaTag turns impulse into purchase, allowing consumers to walk up to an actual item, a billboard, a print advertisement or a retail display and purchase the promoted product within a few simple clicks through their smartphone screen. But the technology isn't limited to visual media, it works by utilizing the visual, audio and other sensors now shipped as standard on smartphones so users can also buy straight from television and radio ads, or PA announcements at events using the PowaTag app and a couple of swift, secure and convenient actions.

PowaTag also allows physical locations to be transformed into data-rich browsing environments by interacting with strategically placed low-energy Bluetooth Beacons. Shoppers can receive messages containing, for example, special offers as they approach any PowaTag Beacon enabled location. In addition, stores will know what a participating customer's shopping habits and personal preferences are as soon as they walk through the door. Retailers gain unparalleled detail about the purchase including physical location and powerful analytics toolkits.

Speaking at the worldwide launch of PowaTag at New York's Mandarin Oriental Hotel, retail technology entrepreneur, ecommerce veteran and CEO of Powa Technologies Group, Dan Wagner, explained the vision behind his revolutionary technology. "The combination of PowaTag beacon and PowaTag transact provides retailers, brands, charities and others with an integrated ability to manage the process from discovery through to transaction with unprecedented ease and reach."

He went on to add, "The retail sector is being forced to respond to growing market pressures from customers wanting greater levels of control and freedom of access and choice on how they purchase goods. Retailers can no longer afford to think in terms of online verses offline – they must seriously rethink how they connect in-store and online strategies to provide the agility and innovation needed to enable customers to buy whenever and wherever they may be, when they are at that critical buying-decision moment."

"Our hybrid combination of technologies which include Bluetooth Beacons, instant payment authentication, and mobility enable retailers to have a richer engagement with their customers and understand their needs and cater for them in a more focused way. Consumers also benefit from having a vastly improved shopping experience," shared Dan Wagner.

Dan Wagner has long sought to bridge the physical and digital world in retail. PowaTag delivers on his vision by providing unprecedented levels of data and documentation that were previously not available to measure the results of print and broadcast advertising.

"We believe that PowaTag is the future of true multi-channel advertising as well as retail," stresses Dan Wagner. "It enables merchants and businesses to collect smart data about their customers, products and promotions and finally be able to quantify exactly how successful an advertising campaign has been. It allows marketers to develop their campaigns and extend the reach of point of sale across any traditional and non-traditional advertising channels."

Dan Wagner knew that it would take an enormous investment to bring his transformative solution to fruition. He showcased the technology to the world's smartest investors and secured $96.7M, the largest Series A funding round every achieved by a technology start-up during 2013. PowaTag has opened offices in 14 different countries to meet demand.

PowaTag is also offering its services to charities free of charge and has been successful in signing up over 35 of the world's largest charitable organizations. The service's audio capabilities mean that users can donate to TV and radio ads instantly, enabling charities to vastly increase the amount of donations they receive, especially as there are no handling fees.

Reaction from the more than 240 market-leading retail brands who have signed up for the service has been extremely positive:

Reebok – Dana Klein – US Business Director for eCommerce

"Technology like PowaTag is game-changing for the way Reebok handles its multi-channel approach.  We think this is going to be key for enhancing our consumer experience."

Harry & David – Kevin Bauer – VP Digital Commerce

"PowaTag completely changes the game of catalogue shopping.  Our customers are typically buying gifts for other people.  The PowaTag technology will make this faster and easier to complete, which means our customers can give amazing handcrafted gourmet gifts with no hassle!" 

Quiksilver – Nicolas Foulet – Global Head of eCommerce & Revenue Marketing

"We look forward to leveraging PowaTag as a part of our solution to support our premium customer experience.  The technology makes a lot of sense to help us meet our multichannel objectives."

Notes to Editors / Product Notes:

• PowaTag turns impulse into purchase, finally eliminating the wait that leads to incomplete transactions
• Offline environments and printed materials become online shopping environments – even if the shop is closed
• Print, poster and broadcast advertising become accountable sales vehicles, enabling advertisers to measure the real ROI of their investment
• Infomercials and other broadcast media are transformed with AudioTag, including events such as football games and concerts
• No add-ons required – it uses the eyes, ears, and other sensors now shipped as standard on smartphones
• Enables existing payment solutions rather than replacing them
• Eliminates the need for the consumer to key in sensitive data every time they buy
• No credit card data stored on the device – all held in the cloud with PCI Level 1 Certification
• Transforms the in-store experiences through close proximity beacon intelligence which can customize down to inches and by customer

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SOURCE Powa Technologies Group